Tesla Asks to Study Charred Remains of Crashed Model S

Tesla Motors has asked permission from Los Angeles authorities to examine the charred remains of a totaled Model S, which split in two and caught fire after the driver who stole the vehicle crashed into several parked cars and a light pole in West Hollywood on July 4.

“We’ve asked to take a look at the vehicle as soon as that’s possible,” company spokesman Simon Sproule told Bloomberg. “There aren’t so many S’s involved in major crashes, and certainly not quite like this one, so we absolutely want to have a look to understand what happened.”

The Model S was stolen from a Tesla dealership around midnight on July 4, according to the Los Angeles Times. The driver led police on a high-speed chase through the city, before colliding with several cars in the West Hollywood neighborhood. The car split into two pieces, and authorities believe the battery caught fire, engulfing much of the car in flames.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Tesla Model S a 5-star safety rating across the board, including front-side, rear, and rollover crash categories. According to Bloomberg, the company added titanium plate reinforcement to the Model S batteries in March to further mitigate the chance of fire.

Shares of Tesla fell 2.4% to $233.74 in the first day of trading since the July 4 holiday weekend on Monday afternoon, reports the Wall Street Journal.